"Col. Yorke" (John Wayne) has enough on his plate fighting the marauding Apache when his son "Jeff" (Claude Jarman Jr) arrives at his post, only to be followed shortly thereafter by the man's mother "Kathleen" (Maureen O'Hara) determined to buy him out. Let's just say that marital relations are a bit strained, and that the youngster has no intentions of leaving his post and so the seeds of slightly comedic discord are sown as mother and father bicker their way back into love. The film itself is all just a bit predictable, but there's a fun dynamic between Wayne and O'Hara and a solid supporting cast offering entertaining roles for Chill Wills; Victor McLaglen as the snifter loving "Quicannon" and Fred Kennedy as the gargantuan "Trooper Heinze". There's plenty of action and the stars make sure that what "romance" there is, is presented in feisty and stroppy a fashion with the bare minimum of anything remotely sentimental. John Ford knew how to cast and make an entertaining western and he does it well here.
